The WMV format is the Windows Media Video format. Videos in this format are meant to be viewed on the Windows Media Player. The MP4 format is a video and audio container format that is designed to be viewed on multiple video players including cell phones and iPods. Ubuntu Linux users can convert WMV files to MP4 files as long as the w32codecs are installed on the operating system.
FFMPeg
Video of the Day
Step 1
Download and install the ffmpeg and w32codecs packages through the Synaptic package manager or by typing "apt-get install ffmpeg w32codecs" at the command prompt.
Video of the Day
Step 2
Open a terminal window. The terminal window will be found under the "Accessories" section of the "Applications" menu.
Step 3
Navigate to the directory where your WMV file is held.
Step 4
Type the command "ffmpeg -i original.wmv -b 600 -s 320x240 -ab 128k -vcodec mpeg4 -ab 128 -acodec aac output.mp4" to convert the WMV file to the MP4 format. Replace "original.wmv" and "output.mp4" with the filename of your video.
Step 5
Type the command "xine output.mp4" to test the conversion.
WinFF
Step 1
Download and install the WinFF and w32codecs packages through the Synaptic package manager or by typing "apt-get install WinFF w32codecs" at the command line.
Step 2
Open the WinFF software which will be found under the "Sound and Video" section of the "Applications" menu.
Step 3
Click the "Add" button and select your WMV file.
Step 4
Choose the "MPEG4" option from the "Convert To" drop down list.
Step 5
Choose "Widescreen" or "Fullscreen" in the "Device Presets" drop down list.
Step 6
Choose the folder where you want to save the MP4 file.
Step 7
Click the "Convert" button at the top of the window to start the video conversion.
Avidemux
Step 1
Download and install the avidemux and w32codecs packages through the Synaptic package manager or by typing "apt-get install avidemux w32codecs" at the command prompt.
Step 2
Open the Avidemux program which will be found under the "Sound and Video" section of the "Applications" menu.
Step 3
Click the "Open" button at the top of the screen, and choose your WMV file.
Step 4
Choose the "MPEG-4" option under the "Video" drop down list.
Step 5
Choose your preferred audio codec from the "Audio" drop down list.
Step 6
Choose the "MP4" option under the "Format" drop down list.
Step 7
Click the "Save" button at the top of the screen to start the video conversion.